On October 10, the festival Skaņu Mežs 2020 will welcome their guests to the band’s 19 gadi pirms sākuma performance. The band was founded in 1988 by Latvian singer and multi-instrumentalist Inguna Černova (Rubene). With participation of the later music critic Daiga Mazvērsīte and Dzeltenie pastnieki musicians Viesturs Slava and Ilgvars Rišķis, it was created as an experimental music project for the exhibition Kurmis alā, organized by Hardijs Lediņš, Juris Boiko and other progressive artists and musicians.

In 1988, 19 gadi pirms sākuma gave a concert in West Berlin avant-garde Transmission music festival, together with the guitarist Kalle Laar. For the next three years the band would perform at concerts in Riga’s Anglican Church, Ogre’s musical gathering Randiņš, 1989 and 1990 festivals Roks par neatkarību, as well as at the festival in Riga Sport Arena, organized by Uģis Polis. The band’s last performance took place in spring 1991, at the Environmental Protection Club’s festival in Arkādija Park in Riga.

In 1989, the band’s album 19 gadi pirms sākuma is released as an audio cassette containing 15 compositions.  The band’s song Nakts ir mana zemapziņa is included in the Latvian recording company’s Melodija Latvian avant-garde band music selection Ienāc ausīs, 1990. In 2005, Ingus Baušķenieks’ Recording Company produces a slightly modified version of the album in CD format. In 2019, the Belgian company STROOM releases on vinyl a selection of the band’s compositions, consisting of 8 songs.

Thanks to the repeated release of their recordings, 19 gadi pirms sākuma have got a second breath and are enjoying a sincere interest from the world’s audiophiles. The 1980s search for freedom and the time’s daring ideas continue winning still new generations of listeners.

This act is part of the UM-SCENE project, which has received grants from the European
Union’s “Creative Europe” programme and the Latvian Ministry of Culture.